Before I Was Happy
by Klainelover1997
Summary: Ever wonder about Blaine's life before he met Kurt? Read about it here!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! This is a new fic that HoneyBooBoo93 and I are starting together. (So, If it shows up on her profile it's not plagiarism, we're writing it together) It is an alternate universe that coincides with my other fic "My Doorstep Baby". Kelsey Crossings, or as many of you know her Addie's mom is his best friend. This is what would have happened had Kelsey not gotten pregnant. Mainly it is the story of Blaine's life before meeting Kurt. I hope you enjoy! **

"Come on Blaine! We're going to be late," Kelsey Crossings pleaded as she tugged her best friend, Blaine Anderson's hand down the long, overcrowded hallway of high schoolers.

"No, I hate Mrs. Knight. She's evil. Can't we just skip her class?" Blaine begged.

"No, we have a test, and she's not that evil. And if we don't hurry, Scott and his fellow idiots are going to throw you in the dumpster again," Kelsey reminded him.

"Uhh, I don't care," Blaine scoffed. "I have to deal with those guys every day. I'm used to it. Besides, Mrs. Knight just met us last week, she barely knows our names."

Kelsey laughed. When Blaine put his mind to something, he was pretty determined to get his way, even if it wasn't in his best interest. They finally made it to Mrs. Knight's drab, boring, and cold classroom, and Kelsey nearly had to push Blaine into his seat.

"Sit down, shut up, and don't give Mrs. Knight any other reason to hate you," Kelsey ordered as she sat down in her own seat two rows up. Blaine nodded and tried to tell himself that he could make it through the class period. Mrs. Knight came in shortly after the late bell rang and slammed a thick stack of papers down onto her meticulously organized desk. They were last week's pop quizzes and by the look on her face, it didn't look like the class had done very well as a whole.

"I graded your quizzes from last week," she announced. "Some of you did very well, while others didn't do as well as I would have hoped." Blaine swore Mrs. Knight was looking straight at him. She passed out the papers and Kelsey waited anxiously for her result. 88%. That wasn't too bad, considering algebra wasn't her best subject.

"Blaine, what did you get?" she turned around and asked her friend. He looked up at her, sad and disappointed in himself.

"I got a 73," he confessed, embarrassed. Kelsey sighed, now she wouldn't be seeing him all weekend. Blaine's parents were very successful people; therefore they were on a mission to raise very successful children. Blaine's older brother Cooper was five years older than him, but already making it on his own in Los Angeles. But Blaine was all alone back at home, dealing with the consequences of his grades. If he got anything less than an 85 he would have his phone taken away, and he could only leave the house for school.

"I'm sure your parents won't be that hard on you," Lucy tried to encourage him. "They know algebra is your worst subject. I'm sure they weren't very good at it." Even though they had been whispering to each other, Mrs. Knight somehow heard them with her superhuman hearing.

"Mr. Anderson and Miss Crossings, do you have something you want to share with the class?" she called them out. They both shook their heads. "Fine, don't let me catch you talking again or you'll be spending your Saturday morning with me in detention." Kelsey and Blaine both sank down in their seats as everyone else snickered quietly to themselves. Blaine felt his cheeks get red, and Mrs. Knight went on with her boring lesson about graphing functions. Miraculously, Blaine and Kelsey survived the 45 minute class, even though Blaine was on the verge of falling asleep.

"Come on, class is over. Let's go to lunch," she said. Blaine nodded silently and slung his backpack over his shoulders. They walked out of the classroom and down the hall to the nineth grade hallway.

"Do you want to go to Mandy's after school before you're on house arrest for the weekend? My mom said they're trying a new cake recipe. We can be the guinea pigs if we want." Kelsey asked, trying to cheer Blaine up from the disappointment of his bad grade.

"Yeah, that would be fun," Blaine stammered absently. He looked down at the ground as he held his books to his chest, but a second later he was slammed up against a locker.

"Watch it, nerd!" the random jock yelled at him. Blaine wanted to cry, but he knew that would make him look weak in the bullies eyes. Kelsey bent down and picked up his books and handed them to him.

"I hate it here," Blaine pouted. "And I hate these damn lockers. Why do they have to be so pointy?" Blaine looked down at the jagged cut running down his upper arm. It wasn't bleeding much, but it still hurt. Kelsey sighed, they were both used to it, and she reached into her backpack to pull out a box of colorful band aids. Blaine smiled.

"I started bringing them after I cut my leg last week on the water fountain," she explained, pulling out two blue bandages. She stuck them onto Blaine's arm gently, and extended her hand to help him up.

"Let's just go get food. I'm sure Mr. Kline will let us eat in his classroom," she suggested.

Mr. Kline was Kelsey and Blaine's English teacher and also their favorite teacher. He was one of the only teachers who actually cared about his students. Luckily for Blaine and Kelsey, he liked them a lot, too.

They both had lunch second block and English third block, so on most days they were saved from the zoo that is the cafeteria by eating in Mr. Kline's classroom. They got in line and bought their lunches and made their way towards the door, but were stopped by their favorite meat-headed jocks, Scott and his varsity crew.

"Hey nerds. Where are you going?" Scott taunted, getting in their faces.

"Just let us through Scott," Kelsey growled, rolling her eyes at the annoyance.

"Shut the hell up!" Scott yelled back. "What about you Blainey? Are you still going to let your girlfriend fight your battles?" Scott asked with a stupid grin across his face. Blaine looked down, blushing from embarrassment, and murmured something quietly. "What was that?" Scott shouted.

"She's not my girlfriend," Blaine stated angrily.

"Whatever, losers," Scott said and walked away. Joey and Matt, Scott's brainless friends, followed him, but made sure to knock Blaine and Kelsey's lunch trays out of their hands before they left.

"Let's go buy our second lunches." Kelsey said in defeat. Blaine nodded and followed her back into the lunch line. Once they got their lunches they moved quickly out of the cafeteria and into Mr. Kline's classroom.

"Hey guys, how's the zoo today?" he asked after looking up from his book.

"The lions are looking for meat again," Blaine stated in frustration, after sitting down at a desk in front of Mr. Kline.

"Did they take your grass again?" the teacher asked.

"Yeah, but we found a new patch," Kelsey smirked. They all started laughing. "Mr. Kline I love your zoo references." Kelsey looked over at Blaine. "Don't let what Scott said get you down. You know he's an asshole."

"Kelsey…" Mr. Kline reprimanded. He normally wouldn't correct her, after seeing how Scott acted towards them, but he couldn't let students curse in his classroom.

"Fine, he's a jerk," Kelsey corrected herself.

"That's better. Now what did Scott say?" Mr. Kline asked.

Blaine looked down at the floor, embarrassed again. He didn't want to say it. "He accused Kelsey of being my girlfriend…again."

Mr. Kline frowned. "Blaine, we've talked about this. There's nothing wrong with you."

"Oh really?" Blaine started, getting upset. He was so frustrated. "This school doesn't even know that I'm gay. I have so many scars from being pushed around and physically tormented here that I'm losing count!" Blaine cried out in anger.

Kelsey looked down, feeling sorry for her only friend. She had known that Blaine was gay since sixth grade and had never thought any less of him. Mr. Kline had only found out a few weeks ago on a particularly bad bullying day. They both had also found out that Mr. Kline was gay too, which came as a surprise. He broke all the stereotypes associated with homosexuality.

"Blaine, I know this is hard," Mr. Klaine told his student. He reached over and tilted Blaine's chin up so that they were making eye contact. "My partner and I went through this, but it gets better. I know you've probably heard it a million times, but it does. You have to believe in that. You have to believe in _you._"

Blaine nodded silently, and pressed his lips together. "Whatever. We have to go throw our trash away.," he said, standing up quickly. He pulled Kelsey by the hand and threw his tray away, even though he'd hardly eaten anything. Blaine didn't have much of an appetite anymore.

The rest of the day went by quickly, thank goodness, and soon Blaine and Kelsey were free for the weekend. They walked three blocks down from the school to Mandy's diner in downtown Westerville.

"Hey Mom!" Kelsey called as the bell on the door jingled when they walked in. Miss Crossings appeared from the kitchen and smiled at the kids.

"Hey guys," Lucy crossings responded sweetly.

"Is that new cake done?" Kelsey asked, hopping up one of the bar stools. Blaine took a seat beside her and folded his arms across his chest so Kelsey's mom couldn't see his cut from the locker.

"Yes you little piglet it is," Lucy Crossings joked. She went into the kitchen and returned out with two plates of some sort of elegant chocolate cake with thick frosting layered on top.

"Thank you," Blaine replied. Kelsey didn't say anything, she just dove right in. Kelsey's mom disappeared back into the kitchen to finish cooking for the dinner rush.

"Blaine, I think you should just tell your parents," Kelsey blurted out, her face smeared with cake frosting. "If they knew about you, then they could stand up for you and do something to stop the bullying. Maybe they could do something about it, like talk to Principal Savitski or something."

"You know my parents aren't like that." Blaine mumbled, playing with his food. The cake was delicious, but too rich for him. He couldn't handle more than a few bites.

"Just give them the benefit of the doubt," Kelsey pleaded. "You never know. Maybe they'll surprise you."

Blaine highly doubted that. His parents were the most homophobic people in Westerville. If he came out of the closet to them, it wouldn't end well.

"Can we talk about something else? Please?" Blaine asked her. He was desperate to change the subject. Besides, it was the weekend and he didn't want to think about school or the bullies or algebra for two whole days.

"Fine" Kelsey agreed. "Are we going to the football game tonight?" Blaine had never been to a high school football game before, but he had no intention of showing up to support the jocks that had tormented him just hours before. Before Blaine could explain that to Kelsey, her mom returned from the kitchen to collect their dishes.

"Are you two done with your cake?" Lucy asked.

"Yup" Kelsey responded, sliding her plate across to her mom. Blaine handed his over as well, having no intention to finish the dessert.

"Blaine, did you not like it?" she asked.

"No, it was good," he assured her. "I'm not hungry, that's all." He put his arms on the bar and set his head down.

"Oh Kelsey, will you and Blaine go and pick up your brothers from daycare? Mandy needs me to work late, and the daycare is closing early. Please?" Lucy pleaded. Being a single mom was the hardest job in the world, and Lucy hated having to rely on Kelsey to raise the boys, but there was no other option. They were barely making ends meet as it was.

"Fine" Kelsey responded. She was used to it. She and Blaine hopped off the stools, waved goodbye to Lucy, and headed towards ABC Daycare half a mile away.

Kelsey had three younger brothers. Aiden and Andrew were four, and identical twins. Jaime was two and the youngest of the Crossings family. All three boys adored Blaine and loved him like an older brother, or even a father figure.

With Cooper being gone in Los Angeles doing his own thing, Blaine missed the feeling of having a brother, so he treated Kelsey's younger brothers like they were his own. Kelsey's dad had left them two years ago, and Blaine knew it had been hard for them. He tried to help them out in any way that he could. When they got to the daycare Andrew, Aiden and Jaime were waiting in their coats and backpacks at the door.

"Blaine!" they all cried in delight.

"Wow thanks guys," Kelsey remarked sarcastically.

"Face it, they love me more than you," Blaine laughed.

"Shut up," she said, rolling her eyes sarcastically as she signed the pick-up papers. The three boys came through the door and latched onto Blaine's legs.

"Hey guys!" he said with a big smile on his face, the first all day. He reached down and picked Jaime up and settled him on his hip.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Aiden and Andrew held onto Kelsey's hands and told her about their day at preschool. When they got to Kelsey's apartment on the other side of town, Blaine set Jaime down and all three boys ran into the tiny living room, which was just a fraction of the size of Blaine's.

"Just please think about what I said Blaine. I know how unhappy you are. I can see it. You never know, maybe your parents will be cool with it," Kelsey suggested, but Blaine already had his mind made up.

"Maybe, okay?" he relented, just to shut her up. "No promises. I have to go. See you later."

Walking home gave Blaine a lot of time to think. _Maybe I should just come out. Just do it. It has to happen eventually, _Blaine thought to himself.

The bullying couldn't be any worse than it already was. By the time Blaine got to his house he had debated with himself to the point of no return, and decided it was time to tell his parents.

He should have done it ages ago anyway, he knew since he was like 9 years old. He was pushing 15 and was a freshman in high school. Maybe coming out earlier would have saved him the awkward blind date with his father's client's daughter that he was forced into. _Maybe Kelsey is right. They might be supportive._ Blaine wouldn't know unless he tried.

He walked up to his front doorstep and paused, taking in a deep breath of the cool Ohio air. This was really it. He had made up his mind. He, Blaine Anderson was finally ready to come out of the closet to his homophobic parents.

Now he just had to figure out how to phrase it. Should he just blurt it out or really explain how he feels? _Oh, it doesn't matter._ The only thing that mattered was his parents' reactions. Blaine could only hope they would accept the fact that their youngest son was gay.


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine walked into his house quietly and shut the door behind him. His parents were home; he could hear them in the kitchen finishing up dinner. Blaine had wasted all afternoon going around town with Kelsey to pick up her brothers. Thankfully Westerville wasn't a very big town at all, so everything was within walking distance.

Blaine hesitantly walked into the dining room. His parents were doing the dishes, and Blaine cleared his throat to let them know that he was there. His mom turned around and smiled at him.

"Hi, Honey. You missed dinner. We assumed you grabbed something with your friend," his mom said, and smoothed back his curly hair. Blaine had forgotten to eat dinner, but he wasn't in the mood. The chocolate cake at Mandy's Diner had made his stomach hurt.

"No, I'm not hungry," he replied. His mom turned back around to finish loading the dishwasher. If Blaine had been home to eat that would've been his job, so thankfully he had gotten a break for a night.

"How was your algebra quiz?" his dad asked in a monotone voice without turning around. Blaine gulped. He had been afraid of that.

"F-fine," he lied. He was a terrible liar. "I passed." Blaine panicked as his dad turned around. He had never been very affectionate, so naturally he and Blaine weren't very close.

"What's that mean?" he asked, walking over to Blaine and folding his arms across his chest. Blaine's dad was a large man, much larger than Blaine, who was only fifteen. He was intimidating, to say the least. He also tended to be quite scary when alcohol was in the picture. Blaine could tell from the stench of his breath that scotch had been the favorite of the night.

"IgotaC," Blaine mumbled, his words running together so no one could understand him. He knew his parents were already disappointed in him. He hated to see the looks of shame on their faces when he came home with yet another bad grade. Even mediocre wasn't good enough for them.

Cooper had been smart, talented, funny, and charming. Blaine had none of those things. With Cooper off in California, it was just awkward, dumb Blaine. He knew he wasn't good enough for his parents. He could never live up to their expectations, and it was killing him inside.

"What did you say, son?" Blaine's dad asked. Blaine wanted to cry. He blinked back tears. He didn't know what he was expecting. It was the same routine every time.

"I got a C," Blaine said louder, articulating each word clearly so he wouldn't have to repeat himself a third time. His dad sighed loudly and dramatically, and threw his hands up in the air. Blaine looked up at his mom, who just shook her head.

"Honey, maybe if you got a math tutor instead of spending so much time with your friends-" his mom began. Blaine cut her off.

"_Friend_," he corrected her. "I only have one friend, and you know that. I'm sorry I'm not as smart as Cooper. I studied for that quiz, you saw me! I studied for three hours!"

Blaine's dad tapped his foot and shook his head. "Just go to your room. Blaine, if you want to get into a good college, you've got to take this stuff seriously. Now go." He said in a low voice as he pointed to the staircase.

Blaine turned around to go, his shoulders slumped and his head hanging low. He half expected his mom to stop and say something- either to Blaine or his dad, but she remained silent. Who was he kidding? She would never do something like that anymore. She had changed so much over time to just go along with all of her husband's decisions, no matter how ridiculous they were.

Blaine went up to his room to text Kelsey, but that was short lived. His mom came up five minutes later to take his phone from him. He was all alone. He had his computer, but his parents somehow managed to control when his Internet worked or not.

Blaine stuck to reading one of the many books on his bookshelf, until he realized what time it was. 11:11 was late, for him at least. He closed his eyes and wished that this night would just be over. Kelsey was wrong. If his parents reacted this way to a bad grade, he was pretty sure that coming out wouldn't help to cease the disappoint they already felt for him. Blaine opened his door to go to the bathroom before he went to bed.

He was just about to turn off his lamp for the night when his parents came in. Blaine could count on one hand the number of times his parents voluntarily came into his room. His mom sat down on the foot of his bed and squeezed his ankle. Blaine didn't want her to touch him. With all the bullying and physical abuse he went through daily at school, even the gentlest of touches made him flinch.

"Honey, your father and I have been talking," his mom began. Blaine looked over at his dad, who was standing by his closet. He didn't seem too interested in the conversation. He would much rather focus on nursing his glass of scotch. "Blaine, we don't want you to think that we're mad at you about your algebra grade. Disappointed, yes, but if you're going to choose not to do your best in school, there's nothing we can do about it."

That made Blaine angry. He _was_ trying his best in school. Mrs. Knight was a horrible teacher. That wasn't Blaine's fault. He chose to remain silent, though. Picking a fight with them was pointless.

"Blaine, if you don't get your math grade up to an A by the end of the month, we're going to have to take your phone and computer away until it comes up. And we're investing our good money for you to see a tutor on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so if you'd try a little bit, you'd see improvement in your grades," Blaine's dad said harshly.

Blaine didn't consider himself to be one of those teens who was addicted to his phone and computer, but with only having one friend, he wound up secluded in his room most of the time. Taking away his technology was like taking away his life. But still, he didn't argue.

"Why are you having so much trouble at school?" Blaine's mom pressed. "In elementary and middle school you did so wonderfully. What's changed since you've started high school?"

Blaine didn't want to admit to being bullied. Then his parents would want to know _why_ he was being bullied, which would lead to him coming out that he was gay. He knew he needed to do it, though. He still hadn't planned on how he would say it, but it didn't seem to matter. His parents would react the same way no matter how he said it.

"No one likes me at school," Blaine confessed, tangling his hands in his bedsheet. "Kelsey's my only friend. The football guys call us nerds and losers. They push us around, and it hurts, and I don't want to go to school with them. Sometimes I don't want to go to school at all anymore." Blaine practically whimpered.

"What the hell does a couple of idiots have to do with your grades? They're your grades, Blaine, not theirs. It's your responsibility." Blaine's dad barked at him. Blaine's eyes watered up from everything that had happened in the past twelve hours. He was at his breaking point. He could see his mom holding up her hand to silence his dad.

"Why didn't you tell us, Blaine? We could've gone to the principal for you," his mom offered in a much more comforting tone than his father. Blaine almost laughed. The Easter bunny would have called the principal before his parents lifted a finger.

"It doesn't matter," he choked out, blinking back the tears. "Nothing will change. I won't change." Blaine felt his heart beating faster. After almost six years of waiting, he was going to tell his parents. He braced himself for his dad to throw a punch or even his glass.

"What do you mean?" his dad asked, and Blaine could see the steam rising. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife.

"They bully me because I'm gay," he spat out before he could talk himself out of it. "That's why Kelsey's my only friend."

There. He had done it. He had come out of the closet to his parents. He had taken the leap of courage, and he waited for a reaction. But he didn't dare look either of them in the eyes.

"Get out," Blaine's dad growled in a low voice.

"Frank-" his mom pleaded. Even though being gay was disgusting and a shameful sin in her eyes, Tara Anderson could never send her son away. Blaine saw his dad slap his mom's hand down, and he panicked. He scrambled off his bed, too scared to be around him. He'd clearly had multiple drinks with his dinner in addition to the glass of scotch that was now splattered across his carpet.

"Go!" Blaine's dad shouted at him, and smacked him on the back of the head. Blaine grabbed his shoes from his closet and slipped them on without bothering to tie them. He had just enough time to grab his North Face jacket before his dad virtually picked him up and threw him out of his own bedroom. Blaine stumbled down the stairs and out the front door. Luckily his dad was too drunk to go after him.

Blaine rounded the corner of the block and finally stopped to take a breath. He zipped up his jacket and tied his sneakers. He had nowhere to go. His closest family lived in Lima, two hours away. They wouldn't want to drive out in the middle of the night to get him. Even if they did, they wouldn't keep him. No one would want him now. He had no money for a hotel, and he probably couldn't even walk that far anyways.

He felt his back pocket, and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he had his wallet. He opened it up to see what was in it. He had a Starbucks gift card, a business card from Mandy's Diner, and a twenty dollar bill. When he shook it, four quarters and two dimes fell out. Blaine Anderson officially had $21.20 to his name. What a life.

He wandered around, and eventually left the neighborhood to go to the gas station half a mile away. He would rather spend his precious money on a bottle of water than die of thirst. As he was walking out the door, he spotted a payphone. The wheels in his head started turning, and he realized he _did_ have someone to call. Blaine rushed over to the phone, praying it still worked. Payphones weren't too common in 2009. He pushed his quarters into the slot and racked his brain, trying to remember Kelsey's number.

"Hello?" a voice answered. Kelsey must have been asleep. Blaine burst into tears when he heard her. Everything was finally sinking in, but he still had his best friend. "Blaine? Blaine, why are you crying? Whose phone are you on?"

Blaine realized his time would expire at the old phone, so he had to explain quickly.

"I told my parents," he said, his teeth chattering from the cold and from crying so hard. "Listen, I need you to come get me, Kels. They threw me out. I'm on the corner of 11th and Hudson, the gas station. _Please, I need help_, Kelsey. I have nowhere to go, a-and my parents hate me, and you're my only hope!"

Blaine sank to the ground. He had truly hit rock bottom. He wanted to die. He honestly did. There was no reason to live. No parents, no home, nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Blaine, just _shut up_," Kelsey said. "Of course we'll come get you. Okay? Stay there. It'll just be my mom, since I have to stay here with my brothers. Just wait ten minutes, I promise. Please don't cry, B. You don't need them. You're free of them harassing you over your grades. It'll be okay. You can sleep here and we'll make something work."

Blaine smiled at her kindness. Kelsey was normally never very serious, but with her dad leaving, she'd had to grow up too quickly, so she understood to some degree what he felt like.

"Thanks, Kels," Blaine told her. He heard a click, and then the dial tone of the phone. He settled himself against the pay phone and wrapped his arms around his legs. He was so cold. Although he felt a tiny drop of hope glimmering in his mind, things were far from being back to normal. He didn't know if normal was a concept that he'd ever get to feel ever again.


	3. Chapter 3

Those ten minutes sitting at the gas station was the longest moments of Blaine's life. He was still huddled next to the pay phone, curled up in a ball on the cold concrete. Wet tear tracks glimmered in the moonlight as it hit his face. His eyes were puffy and red, and Blaine had a hard time seeing. He needed to change his contacts, but he hadn't had time to grab his case at home. He buried his face in his knees and just sobbed.

Blaine buried his face in his arms and closed his eyes. He could hear a car pulling into the empty parking lot, and Blaine held his head up to see Kelsey's mom, Lucy, in her dark purple minivan that was pulled up right in front of him.

"Blaine?" she called to him, getting out of the car.

Blaine had never been so relieved to see her. He got to his feet and walked over to her. She gave him a face of sympathy and opened her arms and pulled him into a hug.

"Come here honey" she said. Blaine leaned into her warm embrace. Lucy was more of a mom to him that his mother had been in years. "It's okay. Don't cry. We'll work something out," she whispered into his ear. "Let's go."

Lucy opened the passenger door of the van. Blaine, who was still shaking from the cold, quickly got into the warm and comforting, yet cluttered, minivan. Lucy went around to the other side and got in the driver's seat. Blaine was just glad that he was finally somewhere safe and that he was finally going…well, not home, but somewhere better than a gas station.

Back at his house his parents were deep in an argument.

"Frank! How could you just throw him out?" Tara yelled. They were still in Blaine's room, and were both shocked at how quickly things had turned.

"How can you honestly defend him? He's a fag," Frank answered, his voice cold and sharp. "We raised him better than that."

"I know that, but he's still our son," Tara defended as she rose her hands up in desperation. Blaine was her son. No mother could do that to her son. It wasn't long before she felt her cheek stinging. There was a huge red mark that she covered up as her hands flew to her face. Frank had hit her, but for Tara Anderson that wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

"We have no son anymore. I don't ever want to hear you say that again!" Frank yelled back at her. Tara's bottom lip quivered and tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"You don't hit me again," she told him strongly, pointing her finger at him as she tried to maintain her composure. This constant abuse was really beginning to wear on her both physically and mentally.

"You do not tell me what to do. If I want to hit you, I will," he growled back. His breath reeked of alcohol. Tara looked down in shame, and clenched her fists. "Now go get me another glass of scotch woman."

Tara went down into the kitchen and grabbed the half empty bottle of scotch, the same bottle that had been full just hours before. She grabbed a short glass from the cabinet and filled it up to the brim. A normal person would have filled it halfway, but her husband wasn't a normal person. He was an abusive alcoholic with a bad temper. Every glass of alcohol was filled to the top. Tara had learned that lesson the hard way and if she ever forgot it, the scar on her head was there to remind her.

She brought her husband's drink out and set it on the coffee table in the living room, where he had come to reside. She set it down next to him without making eye contact. Those tears in her eyes would earn her a brand new bruise, so Tara just kept silent and walked up to the guest room. Sleeping in there was much safer than sleeping in her bedroom with the monster that was her husband. Without even changing she crawled into bed and thought about her baby boy, whom she may have lost forever.

Blaine and Lucy finally pulled into the parking lot at her apartment building. It was a struggle for Blaine to keep his eyes open. After everything that happened to him that day, he was exhausted. It seemed like just that day had lasted a hundred years.

"Come on sweetie," Lucy said sweetly as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Blaine flinched at the movement and was wide awake now; the cool air making him more alert. In silence, they walked down to the apartment and Lucy opened the door quietly.

They both knew that all three of the boys were already asleep. Kelsey was sitting hunched over on the couch rubbing her hands together nervously. She looked over when the door opened and launched herself at Blaine.

"Oh God! I'm so sorry, B," she said sympathetically, and squeezed him into a tight hug. Blaine didn't even have the power to wriggle out of it. He nestled his head into Kelsey's warm shoulder, and was so happy to be there with her, safe. She was the only person he could trust now. "I'm sorry I ever told you to tell them. This is all my fault." Blaine looked at his friend like she was crazy.

"In no possible way is this even remotely your fault," he told her, making sure she understood. "It's not your fault that my parents are homophobic and can't accept for me who I am."

But Kelsey still felt horrible. Despite the circumstances, Lucy loved her daughter, and she would never do something like that to her if she turned out to be a lesbian. Blaine just got stuck with horrible parents.

"But, I was the one who told you to tell them," she argued. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be home and safe in your own bed."

"Stop," Blaine cut her off. "I'll feel safer here than I ever will at my house." Lucy walked out of the bedroom with an extra pillow and a blanket.

"You can sleep here on the couch, Blaine," she said, keeping her voice quiet as not to wake up her sons.

Kelsey's apartment only had two bedrooms. One was the boys' room, where the three little boys were packed like sardines. The other room was Kelsey's. She had fought for a long time with her mother on that, but Lucy had insisted that she have her own room. That left the living room couch for Lucy to sleep on.

"I can't. That's your bed. I can sleep on the floor in Kelsey or the boys' room," Blaine insisted.

"Honey, you've had a rough night. You sleep on the couch and I'll sleep in Kelsey's bed with her," she replied with a smile on her face. Blaine looked to Kelsey and she smiled at him in the same way her mother did. Blaine realized how much better they treated him than his family. In the ten minutes he had technically lived with them, Blaine had received more hospitality and love than almost fifteen years living with his parents.

"I'll see you in the morning," Kelsey replied as she pulled Blaine into another hug. Lucy fixed the makeshift bed for him on the couch, and he walked over and got underneath the thick fleece blanket. The pillow felt like a cloud, it was so soft. It was the best feeling he experienced all day.

"It'll get better. I promise," Lucy promised him with another smile. Blaine nodded and snuggled further into the soft couch and pulled the edges of the blanket closer to his body.

Blaine hoped that because he was so exhausted sleep would come easily, but that didn't happen. He looked at the clock on the mantel that read 3:23 a.m., and prayed that it was wrong. His mind was overcrowded with recollections of the night, and as physically tired as Blaine felt, sleep didn't come.

When Lucy came out to get ready for work three hours later, Blaine pretended to be asleep. She left shortly after that in her uniform with her purse in her hand.

She never used to work weekends, but after her scumbag of a husband ran out, she needed to. It was her only option to put food on the table. Being a single mom and caring for four kids was not easy.

As Blaine stared blankly at the ceiling he heard crying. His head was hurting from all the crying he had done, but he couldn't ignore it. He looked to the end table and saw the baby monitor lighting up. He made the guess that it was Jamie. The twins wouldn't cry.

There was no reason for Kelsey to get up to get him since Blaine was already awake. He pulled back the warm blanket and tiptoed into the small bedroom. Surprisingly, Aiden and Andrew were still asleep. How they slept through Jamie's wails was a mystery to him. When Blaine walked in further, Jamie smiled at him, but naturally seemed confused.

"Hey buddy," Blaine said with a smile. He could always count on Kelsey's brothers to make him feel a tiny bit better about his situation. "Why are you crying, huh?" Jamie didn't answer, but simply reached his arms up to him. Blaine quickly picked him up, and quietly carried him into the kitchen.

"Do you want some milk?" he offered as he put Jamie into his high chair at the table. Jamie still didn't talk, but gave Blaine a toothy smile that he assumed meant 'yes'. Blaine looked through all the cabinets until he found a sippy cup and a matching lid, then opened the fridge and grabbed the nearly empty gallon of milk.

The fridge was relatively empty, and now that Blaine thought about it, so were the cabinets. After handing Jamie his cup, Blaine grabbed him from his high chair and sat down on the couch with him. The toddler nestled into his lap and sucked contently on his milk. Blaine wished his life could be as simple as Jamie's. His parents would actually love and care for him. He wouldn't have to deal with idiot bullies. Life would just be better.

Around 7 a.m Kelsey wandered out of her room. She was wearing baggy pajama pants and had her hair pulled up into a messy bun.

"How did you sleep?" she asked Blaine.

"I didn't," he replied candidly. "I did nothing that even resembled sleeping last night." Kelsey frowned and sat down on the couch next to him.

"Come to sissy, bubba," she said to Jamie. He reached his arms out to her and she took her brother into her lap.

"Go take a shower. It'll help clear your head," she advised Blaine. "That's what I always do."

Blaine nodded, more than ready to wash his hair, and he walked down the hallway to the bathroom. The tub was full of little rubber ducks and other bath toys for the twins and Jamie, so Blaine cleared them out and turned on the shower.

The hot water felt amazing, but Blaine's head was still full. How was he going to be okay? He couldn't live with Kelsey forever. They had too much to worry about. Lucy couldn't take in another kid. Maybe a shelter was his best bet. He knew both Kelsey and Lucy would try to get him to stay, but he couldn't do that to him. He wouldn't become a burden to their family. He'd already failed his parents, he couldn't be a disappointment to the only other option he had.


	4. Chapter 4

The weekend ended all too quickly. Blaine just wanted to hide out in the safety of Kelsey's apartment for the rest of time, but he knew that wasn't an option.

He had no way of going home to get a change of clothes for school, so Blaine allowed Lucy to wash his clothes from Friday night, and he wore them to school again on Monday. Hopefully no one would notice.

Blaine laid low at school, and didn't complain about going to Mrs. Knight's class. That was the least of his worries. He stuck to Kelsey's side, desperate to escape the bullying. It was the last thing he needed after the weekend he'd had. Surprisingly, Scott and the jocks didn't harass them too much. Blaine learned that avoiding them and not making eye contact in the halls went a long way. He didn't get shoved into a single locker all morning.

Blaine thought he was in the clear, but at the end of the day he stood at his locker, stuffing his algebra book into his backpack, when he was shoved into his open locker out of the blue. Blaine automatically covered his face with his hands, and narrowly avoided being hit in the eye with the corner of the door. He stumbled and fell to the ground, only to discover his nose was bleeding.

"Knock it off, loser!" he heard a voice say. That was odd. No one had stuck up for him before. It was foreign to hear those words being spoken about him. Blaine saw Scott shove another guy back, but he didn't fall or anything. He just took the push and shrugged it off. Blaine recognized the kid who had stuck up for him. Carter Michaels was in Blaine's English class. In fact, Blaine had a little bit of a crush on him, but he would never tell anyone. Not even Kelsey.

Carter waited until Scott walked away to help Blaine. He bent down and picked up his textbook and backpack, and then helped Blaine to his feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You're not bleeding very badly." Blaine felt himself blushing. He realized just how unattractive he must seem to Carter. His hair was a mess, his nose was bleeding, his Converse tennis shoes were filthy, and his clothes were the same from Friday.

"Oh, yeah- um, I'm fine," Blaine stammered. He knew he was blushing. Carter smiled at him and went back to his own locker. Blaine zipped up his backpack and locked his locker, stealing glances at the other boy out of the corner of his eye.

Whenever Blaine got an idea, it hit him like a bolt of lightning, and he rarely thought through things before acting on impulse. It had worked out for him about 75% of the time. The one thing he had thought through for years was coming out and look how well that turned out. Blaine remembered hearing on the announcements that morning about the Sadie Hawkins dance coming up. Blaine had been longing for someone to go with, an actual date, and not someone like Kelsey. Going with his best friend would be fun, but Blaine was gay. Carter was gay. They were the only two homosexual kids in the school. It was meant to be.

Blaine hesitantly approached Carter. He took a few steps, stopped, and almost turned around, but he knew he had to do this. How was he supposed to ask him? What was he supposed to do if he got rejected? Blaine figured that getting a date to his first high school dance could turn things around for him, at least a little bit.

But there was one problem: the rest of the school didn't know he was gay, apart from Kelsey and Mr. Kline. But there was no turning back and the bullying would be unbearable. Blaine found himself standing next to Carter, awkwardly breathing on him, and he knew he had to do it.

"Um, thanks for that. Helping me, I mean," Blaine babbled. "I know what it's like, being out and bullied."

Carter paused and looked at Blaine, puzzled.

"Wait, are you…?" he trailed off. Blaine pressed his lips together and nodded, his curly hair bouncing on his head. Carter tilted his head and looked at him, as if trying to gain a new perspective on the boy he'd rarely talked to.

"I told my parents last week," Blaine confessed, looking down. "My dad hates me, my mom doesn't want me, and I'm sleeping on the floor of Kelsey Crossings' living room."

Blaine didn't know why he was spilling everything to a guy he'd never talked to before. But just by observing Carter, Blaine knew he could trust him with his secrets.

"Blaine, that's horrible," Carter said. He didn't mean for it to come out that way, but it was the truth. No one, especially not a freshman in high school, deserved to be kicked out of the house for his sexuality. "I'm glad you told me. I came out over the summer. I can tell my parents are still coming to terms with it, but I know it's hard for everyone to understand. If you ever need anything, you can talk to me. I know we only have a couple of classes together, but no one should be treated like that. Do you need a place to stay for tonight?"

Blaine couldn't believe how kind Carter was being. It made him like him even more. He wound up just staring at him, his perfect long dirty blonde hair, and his green eyes that nearly sparkled in the light. Blaine forgot he had been asked a question, and he found himself drooling over his crush instead of coming up with an answer.

"Oh, uh- yeah, I mean no!" he stammered, and knew he was blowing it. "Sorry. Um, I don't think Kelsey or her mom would want to let me go. They're kind of like my new family. I was done with my parents a long time ago. But thanks… for everything."

Blaine knew if he wanted Carter to go to the dance with him, it was now or never. Blaine took a deep breath and tried to formulate words in his head.

"So, um, you know about the Sadie Hawkins coming up?" he asked. So far so good. Blaine relaxed a little, his confidence building.

"Yeah," Carter said casually.

"Um, would you possibly, um, think about going with me?" Blaine asked him. Carter paused, and Blaine was certain he'd wrecked everything. But soon the frozen look on the other boy's face turned into a smile. Blaine bit his lower lip to keep from getting too excited in front of him.

"No," Carter said. Blaine looked down in embarrassment. "I'm kidding. Yeah,that'd be cool. It'd be nice to have a real date for once. We can talk later, but I need to go. See you tomorrow?" Blaine nodded, his eyes the size of tennis really had a date. As soon as Carter disappeared down the hall, Blaine took off to find Kelsey. It was the happiest he had been all week, and he was loving every second of it.

Kelsey seemed more excited about the dance than Blaine was, if that was even possible. Blaine realized he was going to need some fancier clothes, but Lucy couldn't afford anything (not that Blaine would let her spend her money on him anyways), and all of Blaine's clothes were still in his parents house.

But another idea struck him after they got back to Kelsey's apartment Monday afternoon. His parents were most likely still working, so if Blaine could find a way into his house, he would have access to all of his clothes, his computer, and hopefully even his phone if he could find it.

Blaine decided to go alone. If the small chance came true that his parents were home, they would figure out Blaine was staying with Kelsey, which he really didn't want.

Blaine didn't have a key to his house, but his parents were dumb enough to leave one under the porch mat. Blaine easily got inside, and the house was dead silent.

But he had to act quickly. His bedroom was in the exact same state as he had left it in his hurry on Friday night. Even the empty scotch glass still lay on the floor. Blaine got a suitcase from his mom's closet, and stuffed as much into it as he could. It didn't take long before he was on his way again.

It was almost haunting to be back in his house, the house he had grown up in and was so familiar with. But it was just a memory. Blaine no longer lived there. He wasn't a part of the Anderson family anymore, nor did he want to be. He was free, which was both relieving and terrifying.

Lucy picked Blaine up at his house after she got off of work. Kelsey and the three boys were with her, so he didn't think it was the appropriate time to talk.

Blaine sorted all his clothes out when they got back to the apartment, and he had enough to last for a good while. He'd taken everything he was certain he would want to wear, only leaving behind things he had outgrown or didn't want. But Blaine didn't really care. At least he had clothes to wear. His parents wouldn't even be able to tell he had snuck back home.

Throughout the next two weeks, Blaine and the Crossings family fell back into their normal routine and adjusted to life with an extra person. Blaine helped out around the house as much as he could, but he couldn't help but feel like it wasn't enough. Kelsey and her mother made every effort to let Blaine know that he was welcome in their home, even if he was sleeping on an air mattress. He would pick that over his comfortable bed at his parent's house anyday.

The date of the Sadie Hawkins dance arrived quickly. Blaine was getting cold feet, but Kelsey assured him he would have a good time. Blaine didn't have a suit or anything, so he just wore a button up shirt and a tie. Kelsey was going with a group of her girl friends, so Lucy treated them all to dinner at Mandy's Diner. Blaine and Carter got their own table away from all the gossip and drama coming from the girls' area of the restaurant.

The dance was held in the gymnasium of the school. It looked like every single student had shown up, because it was so packed they could hardly walk through the hordes of people. It was hot, sticky, and the complete opposite of how Blaine was expecting it to be. Blaine had been keeping a watchful eye out for Scott and his friends, but they were nowhere to be found.

An hour and a half into the dance, the fun and thrill of his first high school dance was starting to wear off on Blaine. Carter seemed miserable, too, so they decided to go. Blaine found Kelsey and told her he would see her back at the apartment.

He and Carter walked outside, grateful to get a breath of fresh air. It was cold outside, but it was better than the muggy gym.

"I'll call my dad," Carter offered. "He'll pick us up." Blaine nodded and folded his arms across his chest, trying not to appear so freezing cold.

Once Carter got off the phone with his dad, he and Blaine stood around by the doors of the school to wait for him. They made small talk, and Blaine noticed for the first time how comfortable he felt around Carter. He hadn't been so relaxed since that Friday night when his parents had thrown him out.

Blaine's feet were starting to hurt, so he sat down on the steps. Carter joined him, and they were silent. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was peaceful. The only sound was coming from the music in the gym, and the chirping of the crickets.

"I had fun tonight," Carter finally said. Blaine felt himself blushing, and he shifted on the step so he was closer to Carter. Blaine's forest green eyes met Carter's deep ocean blue eyes and they leaned in towards each other. Their faces got closer and closer until their lips were just about to touch. Then before they could, they were startled with by a rustle in the bushes and heard footsteps across the parking lot.

"Well, look who we have here guys." came the voice of Scott Walls. They heard two other boys laughing in the background in response. "I don't think this is a place for disgusting people like them.. I say we do everyone a favorite and just…dispose of these fags." Scott growled in low voice. Blaine and Carter stood up and back up against the wall. They were trapped and there was nothing they could do.


	5. Chapter 5

As Scott and his two equally homophobic friends, Joey and Matt enclosed on the couple, Blaine felt himself shrinking behind Carter. He was visibly shaking, and this time it wasn't from the cold.

"Hey Scott," Carter growled as he stood defensively in front of Blaine. As terrified as he was, he knew the bullies targeted Blaine more, and he was determined to protect his date.

"Carter. You know this is the Sadie Hawkins dance right?" Scott asked sarcastically. "It's where the girls ask the guys. So, where's the girl?"

"Oh, shut the hell up," Carter replied in a low voice. He was sick of the gay jokes.

"Wow. Okay, I'm pretty sure you're the man. So, that means Blainey must the girl," Scott joked. "I always had a feeling." Through his position behind Carter, Blaine scowled. Being gay didn't mean he was a girl. Carter took a step forward and got closer to Scott's face.

"Just leave us alone, Scott. We're leaving anyway," he said through his gritted teeth.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Scott replied with a devilish smirk on his face. "This is going to be fun." He balled his hand into a fist and threw it right into Carter's face. Carter stumbled to the side and his head collided with the brick wall of the school. As soon as that happened, his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. Blaine ran over to his motionless body and knelt down.

"Carter! Carter, wake up!" he pleaded as he shook his body and lightly slapped his cheek. Who would protect him now?

Scott smiled, obviously pleased with his handy work, and he gave a nod to Matt and Joey. They smirked back and then went over and each grabbed one of Blaine's arms. Blaine panicked and squirmed as he tried to break their hold.

"Put me down! Stop!" he screamed. Scott took his fist and plunged it into Blaine stomach. He doubled over, groaned, and tried to catch his breath. A blow that strong easily knocked the wind out of him.

"Shut up Blainey," Scott growled, getting in his face. Blaine tried to turn his head to avoid looking at him. "I always knew you were a fag."

"P-please, just stop. I'll do whatever you want," Blaine pleaded. He knew it sounded pathetic, but he wasn't willing to risk his life. Scott rolled his eyes and threw two punches into his stomach again.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Scott replied. "Shut up and this won't be as bad. If you don't talk we may even let you live." Blaine went silent. "Good. Now stay like that." Scott turned to Matt and Joey. "Hold his face up."

The two accomplices grabbed Blaine's hair and yanked his head back hard. Scott sent multiple punched straight to his face. Blaine felt his left cheekbone snap and his nose break. He wanted to scream, but nothing would come out of his mouth.

Blood ran freely down his face and over his lips that were so swollen that he could barely make a sound. The areas around his eyes throbbed because Scott had punched him at least six times in him eyes.

He tried to squirm away, but Matt and Joey yanked him back so hard that he actually felt a clump full of his hair rip from his scalp. Next, Scott sent a knee to his groin. Blaine doubled over and practically screamed in pain. Seeing his opportunity, Scott picked the smaller boy up and slammed him onto the steps of the school. Blaine vaguely felt something in his leg crack, and pain shot up his body.

His leg twisted as he made contact with the ground, and Blaine felt something in his knee jar. He couldn't move. He was stuck on the ground. Everything was throbbing and he finally choked out a scream in pain. One of the other boys sent a series of powerful kicks to his ribs. On the last kick Blaine felt something crack and then all of a sudden he couldn't breathe.

He lay on the dark pavement gasping for air in a pool of his own blood. Scott, Matt, and Joey had left, and it was just Blaine and Carter left in the parking lot. Carter was still unconscious and Blaine was dying.

Back inside, Kelsey was getting way too hot. She walked off the dance floor and stood by the door. It was dark outside, but she was still really hot. She opened the door, but stopped when it hit something. She walked outside, confused as to what could have blocked the exit. She looked along the wall and saw Carter's unconscious body.

"Oh God!" she cried as she rushed to his body. She placed her ear next to his heart and could hear it beating. He was obviously still alive. Where was Blaine?

She looked around and heard a faint sound of gasping. Over in the corner of the parking lot, she saw something and walked over. She screamed when she realized it was Blaine. Kelsey rushed to his body and knelt down next to him.

"Blaine! Oh my God! What happened?" she cried. Blaine couldn't speak and it was getting hard to get any air into his lung, but he managed to squeeze out "help" through his gasps. Kelsey reacted instantly. She started screaming.

"Help! Help! Someone please! We need help!" she yelled as loudly as she could, but no one came. Kelsey could hear Blaine's breaths becoming shallower. She was beginning to panic. Her purse with her cell phone was sitting on a table inside with the rest of her friends' things.

"Blaine. Look at me," she ordered. "I'm going to get help. Don't you dare die. Do you hear me?" she asked, desperate for him to hear her. She stood up from Blaine's body. Her knees and the bottom of her dress were soaked with blood. Blaine's blood. She kicked off her high heels and ran as fast as she could back into the gym. She spotted Mr. Kline instantly and ran over to him.

"Mr. Kline! I need your need to come quick!" she begged urgently.

"Kelsey, what's wrong? You're covered in blood. Are you hurt?" Mr. Kline asked as he reached down to her legs to see if anything was wrong. She slapped his hands away.

"I'm fine. It's Carter Michaels… and Blaine. They're hurt. I think Blaine is dying. Call 911, now!" Kelsey demanded. She turned around and began running out of the gym again. Mr. Kline followed her and ran out to the building. She ran back over to Blaine's body. He wasn't breathing anymore.

"No! I told you not to die!" Kelsey cried. "You do not get to die." She started doing compressions and CPR on him. Mr. Kline quickly grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed 911. After he hung up he went over to Kelsey and Blaine.

"The paramedics are coming. Let me do that," he said gently as he tried to remove Kelsey's hands from the boy's chest.

"Don't touch me!" Kelsey screamed. "He'll die if I stop!"

Luckily for them, the hospital was only a few blocks away. They heard sirens roaring up the road as they got closer to the school. Mr. Kline met the ambulances. He pointed over to Blaine and two paramedics with a defibrillator ran over.

"Sweetie, you can stop," one woman paramedic said, but Kelsey didn't budge.

Mr. Kline came up from behind her and had to physically lift her off of Blaine. Then the paramedics sprang into action. They quickly hooked Blaine up to a heart monitor. Kelsey wasn't even sure if it was working, but quickly realized it was. Blaine just didn't have a heartbeat.

The paramedics charged the paddles and yelled "clear" and shocked his lifeless body. No heart rhythm appeared. They shocked him again. Still nothing happened. They tried one more time, but still the green line remained flat.

"Time of de-..." the one paramedic began.

"No! No! You have to try again! You can't let him die! He's my best friend!" Kelsey screamed as tears streamed down her face. The paramedics looked at each other. Neither one looked very hopeful, but they charge the paddles again.

"Clear!" the paramedic yelled. He shocked Blaine and a tiny rhythm appear on the screen and gradually his blood pressure rose. Both paramedics seemed surprised, but still quickly moved in to help.

"Wait! Is he going to be okay now?" Kelsey asked.

"Your friend is still very unstable, but he does have a heartbeat now," one of them replied. The other one grabbed a stretcher and ran over with it. Meanwhile, the second ambulance was pulling up and then they got Carter onto a stretcher.

"Can I go with him? Please? I need to go with him" Kelsey insisted. Unfortunately, the paramedics told her no. They needed all the room to work on Blaine. Kelsey turned into Mr. Kline's chest and sobbed. Within an instant the two ambulances were gone and it was just Kelsey and Mr. Kline in the parking lot. He handed her his phone.

"Call your Mom," he told her. "I'll drive you to the hospital, and you should tell her to meet us there." he said. Kelsey nodded, wiped her tears and dialed the number. This was no time to be weak. Blaine needed her to be strong.


	6. Chapter 6

The ride to the hospital seemed to last hours for Kelsey. She rode in the front seat of Mr. Kline's beat up sedan, her mind numb with what had gone on in the last half hour. Her dress, still stained with Blaine's blood, lay over her body and stained the interior of the car.

"I'm sorry about your seats." Kelsey said quietly as she remained looking down at her feet.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" Mr. Kline said nicely. "It's alright."

Kelsey had called her mom, who agreed to meet them at the emergency room as soon as she called the babysitter.

The hospital was big, bright, and busy. Apparently only family was allowed to go back and see Blaine, so Kelsey pretended to be his sister, even though they looked nothing alike. Mr. Kline passed as his dad, and they went down to the trauma center to see Blaine.

Within the next few minutes they were going to take Blaine into surgery. He wasn't breathing on his own, so they had him connected to a ventilator. It attached to Blaine bruised face and forced air into him

" Is that think hurting him? I don't understand what's wrong with him?" Kelsey asked, afraid to approach his unconscious body.

"No, the ventilator isn't hurting him. It's helping him. One of his broken ribs tore a hole in his lung and now he can't breathe properly. " a nurse told her. "We're going to take him in for emergency surgery now and fix it. Mr. Anderson, can you sign the consent form, please?"

Kelsey was confused, until she remembered Mr. Kline was Blaine's "dad." He hesitantly signed the form, and Kelsey got to see him one last time before they took her best friend, even if he didn't look like him anymore, away to surgery.

"What now?" she asked her teacher. Mr. Kline led her back down the hall to the surgical waiting room. "That's it? All we do is wait? It could be hours!" Kelsey didn't want to just sit around doing nothing while Blaine was in surgery, but there wasn't much she could do to help. Blaine's biological parents wanted nothing to do with him.

Mr. Kline bought Kelsey a bottle of water, and they sat in silence. Kelsey's mom finally showed up, and it was a huge relief to her.

"Blaine's hurt," she choked out, hugging her mother tightly. Kelsey felt like she was living a nightmare, like she would wake up soon and Blaine would be alright. But he wouldn't.

"I know, I know. Don't cry, they're going to help him," Lucy soothed as she ribbed comforting circles on her back. Kelsey could only hope.

Her mom tried to get an update on Blaine from the nurse's station, but there was nothing new. Blaine had a severe head and leg injury in addition to the problem with his lung. That seemed to be all that anyone knew.

Over two hours passed with no word from anyone. Kelsey was completely numb from all emotions. She'd cried until there were no tears left, she'd gone back and forth from fear to anger to disbelief, and was physically and emotionally exhausted.

Gradually, people came and left, and soon only Kelsey, her mother, and Mr. Kline were left in the surgical waiting room. She braced herself for the news that Blaine had died.

As it was pushing one in the morning, the group heard an unusual commotion from the hallway. Mr. Kline got up to go look around the corner, and a male nurse escorted a couple down the corridor to the waiting room.

Kelsey felt her blood boil. Blaine's parents. They didn't even deserve to be called parents anymore after what they had done to him. They didn't care. Why were they even there?

"Take us to our son right now!" Blaine's dad ordered the nurse. He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

"Sir, your son is in critical condition right now. Have a seat, and we'll let you know when you can see him," the nurse said calmly, backing up to distance himself from the larger man.

No wonder Blaine was so afraid of his own parents. Kelsey wanted to kill them for putting Blaine in this situation in the first place.

She glanced from her mom to Mr. Kline. Kelsey only had one chance go act, if she was going to get justice for her best friend. She jumped from her seat and darted over to Blaine's parents, not willing to go down without a fight.


	7. Chapter 7

Kelsey ran over to Blaine's parents, her anger fuming inside her. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Do we even know you?" Blaine's father asked rudely. "I don't have time for this. Take me to my son!" The nurse looked scared and intimidated by the large man, so he shrank away, pretending to be busy with other work.

Kelsey took a deep breath. She was not about to let Blaine' parents do anymore damage to him.

"You don't deserve to see him!" she argues.

"Excuse me?" Blaine's mother chimed in, clearly offended.

"Both of you are the reason why he's here!" Kelsey began. "Do you even care about what happened to him the night you kicked him out?"

Blaine's father remained expressionless, while his mother seemed to care, at least a little bit.

"He called me, sobbing, from a payphone at the gas station," Kelsey went on. "What kind of parents do that to their son?"

"Where do you get off telling us anything about parenting?" Blaine's father nearly shouted. "You don't have a child."

"I may not have a child, but I am more mature than both of you. I've taken care of my brothers for years after my dad left!" Kelsey was fuming. The man was so ignorant. Blaine's sexuality shouldn't define whether or not his parents loved him.

All you care about is his stupid grades and your reputation!" Kelsey yelled. "Blaine is so much more than just the fact that he likes boys. Oh, and if I had a child and they happened to be gay, I would still love them regardless because Blaine didn't choose to be that way. He didn't choose to be tormented every day or be beaten almost to death!"

After hearing all the yelling, Lucy rushed over from the other side of the waiting room to her daughter, and held her back as she tried to get closer to Blaine's parents.

"I can't believe that you let your daughter speak to us in that way," Blaine's father said to Lucy, pointing at her. "You should know how to control her!"

Lucy couldn't believe what she had just heard. She felt her anger flare up, and she exploded at the man.

"At least I love my daughter!" she yelled right back at him. "I would never treat her or any of my sons that way that you've treated Blaine."

"You know what, I am tired of being insulted by you people. If you care for my son all so much you can have him! He is a disappointment and a fag," Blaine's father roared. "Nurse!"

The old woman at the nurse's station looked over at them, seeming frightened.

"Get me one of those damn legal rights papers! Now!" Blaine's dad bellowed. The terrified nurse hurried away to find the paper. "That bitch is going to take forever. I'm going to get a drink. Tara, sign the damn papers and then come and pick me up at the bar." He stormed off down the hall, leaving them alone.

Meanwhile, Lucy was confused and scared. She loved Blaine like he was her own son, but she already had four kids. She had never agreed to take him in legally. That required money that she just didn't have.

"Mrs Anderson, from mother to mother, I know that you don't want to lose Blaine," Lucy pleaded.

Blaine's mom looked conflicted, like she couldn't agree who to side with: the man she thought she loved, or a stranger who had somehow taken care of her youngest son for weeks.

"I love my son with all my heart, but I just can't go against my husband," Tara finally answered, accepting defeat.

"Yes, you can," Lucy persisted. "We're mothers. It's our job to stand up for our kids." Tara Anderson looked down, disappointed in herself. The nurse returned with the papers, and she took the pen from the nurse and signed her signature on the paper.

"I'm sorry. Take care of my son," she said, her voice cold as she quickly made her way out of the hospital. Lucy turned back towards Kelsey and then signed the paper without hesitation. Kelsey hugged her mother once she was done, accepting the fact that Blaine no longer had to deal with his horrible parents.

"It's going to be alright," Lucy soothed. They walked together back to the surgical waiting room and sat down next to Mr. Kline, filling him in on what had gone on in the last fifteen minutes.

Time dragged on and it seemed like hours before a surgeon came out to talk to them. Kelsey was asleep on her mom's shoulder. Lucy shook her awake when she saw the doctor coming.

"Are you the family of Blaine Anderson?" he asked.

"We are now," Lucy replied, letting it sink in that Blaine was her new son.

"Blaine is stable and out of surgery. We were able to repair the hole in his lung, but it's still going to be a long recovery. We set the fracture in his femur and put his knee back into place."

Kelsey was relieved to hear good news about her best friend's operation, but the doctor wasn't finished.

"There were some complications, though. While we were in there we discovered Blaine's brain was bleeding so we had to go in and try to stop it. The bleed was in the motor skills area so he may have some paralysis on one side of his body, but it can be regained with physical therapy. He'll also need physical therapy for his leg once it's healed. A femur fracture can take months to fully heal. All in all, he's stable, but he had a long road of recovery ahead of him."

"Can we see him?" Kelsey asked desperately. She didn't care about what the doctor was saying. She wanted to see Blaine with her own two eyes.

"You can, but he's not awake yet," the doctor informed them. He led them down the hallway to Blaine's room. Before they went in Kelsey stopped.

"I just wanted to ask about the other boy, Carter Michaels, that Blaine came in with?" she asked.

"He's fine. He just has some bruising on his face and the back of his head." the doctor replied.

Kelsey nodded, and braced herself for the sight of Blaine. When she went in there she was shocked. She had expected it to be bad, but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Blaine looked so fragile in that bed.

He was still intubated and on a ventilator, as well as having a full leg cast on his broken leg, and it was held in the air to keep it elevated.

He had bandages wrapped around his head, and she presumed there were more wrapped around his chest, but his face was the worst. There was no pink skin left. It was all either black or blue, deeply bruised.

"Oh God," Kelsey said quietly. She covered her mouth with her hand, but refused to gry.

She walked over to Blaine's bedside and took his limp hand in hers.

"It's okay Blaine, you're not alone," she promised. She had to make everything okay.

The doctor left, and Kelsey and Lucy sat down in Blaine's room, pulling up chairs next to his bed. They didn't know how long it would take for Blaine to wake up, but they were willing to wait. About an hour later, Lucy went to go get them something to drink, so Kelsey was left alone with Blaine. Of course, within two minutes, Blaine's eyelids started to flutter.

"Blaine?" Kelsey asked. Blaine blinked his eyes open and Kelsey could tell he was scared. His eyes frantically darted around the room and then he noticed the tube in his throat and started to panic.

Blaine grabbed it with his hand and tried to pull on it.

"Blaine, no! Don't pull it! Come on, calm down," Kelsey told him as she tried to stop him. When he wouldn't listen she started yelling for help.

The doctor from before ran in with a nurse by his side. He grabbed Blaine's hand and looked him straight in the eyes as his body stilled.

"Blaine, calm down. It's alright," he said to him. "We'll get this out, okay? All you have to do is breathe out."

Blaine did what he was told, and the doctor removed the tube from his throat. Blaine coughed and gagged until it was out. Then the nurse handed him a cup of water, and Kelsey took over to help him take a sip.

Once the nurse checked him over, she and the doctor left Blaine to rest.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Blaine," Kelsey said, breathing a sigh of relief. He smiled back at her, still somewhat groggy.

"Me too. I'm glad you're here Kels," he said. "I just want to ask you one question."

"Anything," Kelsey said, ready to help him out however he needed.

"What happened?" he asked. Kelsey was stuck. How was she supposed to tell her best friend that he was in the hospital from a hate crime?


	8. Chapter 8

Kelsey quickly realized that because of Blaine's head injury, he didn't remember what had happened to him. She squeezed his hand, trying to find the right words to say.

"We were at Sadie Hawkins. Remember you went with Carter?" Kelsey asked him. She figured the beginning was the best place to start, considering she didn't know how much Blaine actually remembered.

"I remember," Blaine said. "We were waiting for his dad. Then what?" Kelsey sighed, struggling to tell the story. She knew she would never forget the night's events for the rest of her life, but trying to explain it to Blaine was harder than she could ever imagine.

"I wasn't with you," she went on, her voice quiet, "but Scott and his friends showed up. They really hurt you and Carter. Me and Mr. Kline called 911. They had to take you into surgery because your leg was broken, and you hurt your head really badly. The doctors said you're going to be okay, though."

Kelsey was trying to remain optimistic for Blaine's sake, but it broke her heart to see her best friend reacting to what she was telling him.

"I'm so sorry, Blaine," she said, her voice breaking. "I promise it'll be okay. My mom's here, and we're going to fix it. Your parents aren't a problem anymore. You legally belong in our family. It's going to work out."

Blaine looked overwhelmed. He looked like he wanted to cry, but he was still groggy and trying to figure everything out. Kelsey wished she could do something, anything, to help him.

"'s Carter okay?" he asked, his voice raspy. Kelsey couldn't help but smile. Blaine had gone through hell in the past twelve hours, and he only cared about making sure his date was okay. That was just like him.

"Carter will be fine," Kelsey assured him. "It's kind of the middle of the night, but in the morning I'm sure they'll let you see each other. My mom can get it worked out with the nurses."

"My leg hurts," Blaine said, his chin trembling. Kelsey had to act before he started to cry. She couldn't bear to see him like that.

"O-okay," she stammered, trying to act quickly. Kelsey hit the button on the wall that was supposed to call the nurse. "The doctor can give you more medicine. Do you want to hold my hand?" Blaine nodded, biting down on his lower lip until a pinprick of blood appeared. Kelsey calmed him down and distracted him until Blaine nurse came in. She gave him some more pain medicine through his IV tube and gave him another shot of something to relax him.

The new drugs worked their magic, because Blaine quickly grew sleepy. Kelsey sat by him until he was asleep, put out by the pain relievers and sedatives. She knew the months ahead would be the hardest times of both of their lives.

Blaine stayed in the hospital for three weeks. Kelsey had to go to school of course, but she did her best to be with Blaine as much as she could. He made slow improvements, day by day, and eventually the doctors decided he was well enough to be sent home. Blaine mostly stayed on the couch, only getting up to move around if he absolutely had to.

Kelsey, Lucy, and the boys loved seeing him recovering so well, but Blaine was quickly becoming overwhelmed. He had missed well over a month of school, and his stack of makeup work was piling up. Kelsey helped him, but they both knew it was a lost cause. Blaine just wouldn't be able to get caught up.

"I don't want to repeat freshman year," he pleaded one night out of frustration. Algebra was hopeless. Kelsey knew being held back was going to be inevitable to him, unless they could do something…

Blaine wasn't well enough to go back to school until after Christmas break. His leg was healing slowly, and he was still deeply emotionally scarred by the events of that night. Kelsey and Lucy were running out of ways to help him, until late one night Lucy Crossings got a phone call from an unknown number.

"This is Lucy," she answered in her most professional voice.

"Hello, Miss Crossings, my name is Harold Cook, headmaster of Dalton Academy for Boys," a man with a deep voice said. Lucy was confused. Her boys were too young to go to a school like that. Unless it was for Blaine…

"Yes," she said, not sure how to reply. "In north Westerville."

"It's come to my attention that a young man you've taken in is having trouble. The principal of Westerville High told me everything, and based on Blaine's grades before his… incident, we're prepared to offer him a scholarship to attend here. It's a full time boarding school with numerous extracurricular activities to offer…"

Lucy had stopped paying attention. A man she had never met was offering Blaine the opportunity of a lifetime. She knew how hard it was to get into Dalton, but Blaine certainly had the brains to take it on.

The headmaster went on to explain how Dalton had a zero tolerance for bullying, and how their standardized test scores exceeded the average, blah blah blah. Lucy had to admit, it sounded wonderful, but that would mean Blaine wouldn't be living with them anymore. After what the poor child had gone through, Lucy didn't feel exactly comfortable turning him loose to stay at the boarding school, but maybe it was in his best interest…

Lucy thanked the headmaster for his time, and promised to get back to him as soon as possible. All of the kids were already asleep, but she made a mental note to talk to Kelsey about it before Blaine. It was definitely going to be a huge transition in all of their lives.

The next day, Lucy had her daughter come by the diner after school. She took a late lunch hour and sat down at a booth with Kelsey. She looked worried, but lucy assured her there was nothing bad. Their family had gone through too much already.

"I got a phone call last night," she began, "from the head of that Dalton school, the boarding school a few miles north of the house." Kelsey nodded, but wasn't sure what that had to do with anything.

"They want to give Blaine a scholarship," she went on. "His grades were exceptional before he had to start staying home, and the man said he could easily get caught up with the help of one of their prestigious tutors. They want Blaine to stay as a full time boarding student, with everything 100% paid for."

Kelsey took a long moment to process that information. She wouldn't see Blaine everyday. She would probably not get to see him for several weeks at a time.

"Mom, we can't just drop him and expect the school to meet all of his needs," she tried to reason. "What if something happened? Blaine can't even walk! He'll think we're abandoning him."

Lucy understood her daughter's logic. She didn't want it to appear like she was trying to get rid of Blaine. She loved him just as much as her other children, even if he did need a lot more care than the little boys.

"Honey, you won't understand this until you're a parent yourself," Lucy explained. "The headmaster said there is a zero tolerance policy for bullying there. I believe Blaine will be completely safe. He has to get an education somehow, and this is a wonderful chance for him. You want him to be successful and get better, and I know it'll be hard not to have him around everyday, but we've helped him out so much, and it's time for him to have another chance. I wouldn't consider this for a second if I thought it wouldn't be good for him."

Kelsey crossed her arms and looked down at the dark brown table. She didn't want Blaine to leave her. She knew it was selfish, but who else did she have? Blaine made her feel young and happy, because quite frankly, Kelsey had done more growing up in the last two years than any teenager should.

"Let's see what Blaine thinks. If he's not for it, we'll forget it," Lucy reasoned. "But I think this is the best thing for all of us." Kelsey shrugged her shoulders. She really did want the best for Blaine, even if it was going to be hard for her.


	9. Chapter 9

After finishing work, Lucy and Kelsey headed home to their apartment to have a talk with Blaine about Dalton. When they got home, they found him on the couch with his bad leg propped up on a pillow. Jamie was nestled in Blaine's arms sucking on a bottle, and Aiden and Andrew were sitting with their backs against the couch watching Phineas and Ferb on the TV.

"Hi mommy!" Aiden and Andrew cried happily as Lucy and Kelsey walked in the front door.

"Hi boys," Lucy replied, setting down her purse. "Can you do mommy a favor and go get ready for bed with sissy?"

"Aww, but we wanted to finish watching TV with Blaine," they whined.

"You can come back out after you finish getting ready," Lucy promised them. "I just need to talk to Blaine alone for a minute."

The boys seemed hesitant to leave, so Kelsey walked over and picked Jaime up from Blaine's lap.

"Come on guys, if you come right now I'll do spaceship rides once you're in your pajamas," she bribed. Smiles formed on both of the boys' faces, and they raced off to their bedroom with Kelsey following close behind. Once they were all out of the room, Lucy took a seat on the couch next to Blaine. He could tell that something big was going to happen, and he grew nervous.

"Blaine, I need to talk to you," Lucy told him, laying a comforting hand on his uninjured knee.

"I get it…" Blaine sighed, accepting defeat. "You don't want me anymore. I can't really blame you."

Blaine had known it would just be a matter of time. He was too big of a burden on the already struggling family. He was hurt, not benefitting them at all, and just another mouth for Lucy to feed.

"No, of course we want you, honey," Lucy assured him. She had to pound it into Blaine's head that even though his biological parents were nasty homophobes, he was capable of being loved. "We will always want you. What I was going to tell you was that I got a call from the headmaster of the Dalton Academy, that school a few miles away? They said that they'd like to offer you a scholarship, if you want it."

Blaine was confused, as if she had just spoken to him in Spanish. That school cost well over ten thousand dollars a year, and they were letting him in, just like that? Blaine wasn't even very smart. Well, his parents had always told him that. To be honest, he thought he was a good student, he just didn't live up to the unreasonable expectations.

"I didn't even apply there," Blaine finally said. "Why do they want to give me a scholarship?"

"Well, Blaine, Dalton has a strict no bullying policy, and your principal called them and told the headmaster about you" Lucy explained. She couldn't tell how Blaine was feeling about it. He was very hard to read.

"So they're just letting me in because they feel sorry for me?" Blaine asked, his voice sharp.

"Honey, this could be a really good opportunity for you. It's like a new beginning," Lucy said as she tried to reason with him.

"No! I don't want to go," Blaine insisted loudly. Lucy sighed. He was so stubborn. He could be so sweet, but Blaine knew what he wanted all the time. If he didn't want to go to that school, then he wouldn't go. They would just have to make something else work out.

"Okay, you don't have to," Lucy relented, before leaving to go and put the boys to bed. After the way the talk had gone, she doubted that Blaine would want to watch TV with the kids.

After a few minutes, Kelsey came out from down the hall and sat down on the couch next to her friend. Blaine looked down, avoiding eye contact with her. Luckily, Kelsey didn't need eye contact to make her point. She reached over and slapped the back of his head.

"Oww!" Blaine whined.

"Why aren't you going to Dalton?" she demanded.

"They don't want me. They just feel sorry for the gay kid who got his ass kicked," Blaine grumbled. There was absolutely no way that he would make it into that school under normal circumstances. He was just being pitied.

"So what?" Kelsey said. "Do you know how much I would give to get out of that hell hole we call a school? I would give anything to get out of there and you're just passing up that opportunity!"

Kelsey couldn't help but get frustrated. If she had been the one offered the scholarship, she would've agreed in a heartbeat. Blaine could be so stupid sometimes.

Kelsey softened her tone and took Blaine's hand. "B, this a clean slate for you. You deserve that. Don't worry about me. We'll still see each other on weekends and I have friends at school. I'll be fine."

She smiled, and felt a tear in her eye. Blaine smiled back at her, his eyes also watering, and pulled her into a hug.

"You really the most amazing friend, Kels," Blaine said softly. "Tell your mom she can call the headmaster of Dalton back and say I'd like to go there."

Kelsey nodded and then left to go and tell her mother the news. Blaine curled into himself on the couch and let his insecurities wash over him. His life had just changed in a matter of fifteen minutes. Would he make any friends? What if he and his roommate didn't get along? What if the work was too hard? He hadn't been a "new" student since he moved to Westerville in second grade and was not looking forward to being one again.

Weeks passed, arrangements were made, papers were signed, and uniforms were bought, and it was finally time for Blaine's first day at Dalton Academy. He had been able to get his uniform on with a little help from Lucy to get his cast through the pants leg. His ribs, head, and face were mostly healed, but his leg was still encased in a hard cast, and Blaine was still forced to go to physical therapy to help him. But he didn't mind. It gave him something to do other than worry about his new school.

His things were all packed in boxes and loaded into the car. It didn't take long; he didn't have much to his name anyway.

"Blaine, honey, are you ready to go?" Lucy said, snapping Blaine from his daydream out the window. His head quickly turned to her direction and he nodded. Lucy handed him his crutches and he hobbled over through the door and then onto the elevator. It felt weird to be leaving the apartment. He had only really left for physical therapy, and now he was leaving for a full week.

When they got to the lobby, Blaine and Lucy walked out to the parking deck and she helped him get into the car.

They drove the twenty minute route to Dalton, Blaine growing more and more nervous. Lucy could tell he was anxious, so she reached over and softly squeezed his hand.

"Everything's going to be fine. It won't be anything like Westerville High," Lucy promised him. The headmaster had assured her that Blaine would be 100% happier at Dalton. "You'll be safe there. I promise."

Blaine simply nodded and looked out the window as the Dalton campus became visible. It was huge, to say the least. There were several buildings of various sizes spread out over the property, and everything looked so… perfect. The hedges were evenly trimmed, the grass recently mowed, and no graffiti or litter in sight (unlike Westerville High).

One of the guidance counselors met them outside when they pulled up to the main office building.. Blaine got out of the car and wobbled unsteadily until he had his crutches again.

"Hi Blaine! Welcome to Dalton Academy," the counselor said overenthusiastically. "Hi…" Blaine replied shyly. He wasn't sure what he thought of this guy. He was definitely

passionate about what he did.

"Anyways, I'm Mr. Grant, but you can just call me Liam," the man went on. "I'll show you to your room now. Do you need any help with your stuff?"

Was this guy for real? Blaine was on crutches and Lucy couldn't carry everything herself. Of course he needed help with his things!

"I could use some help!" Lucy called from the trunk of the car. Liam hurried over and took the large suitcase filled with all of Blaine's clothes, and Lucy grabbed the two boxes. She handed Blaine his backpack and he placed it over his shoulders.

Liam took them down a short sidewalk to what was clearly a dormitory building. It wasn't very fancy on the outside, but the hallways inside looked like they belonged in a palace.

Everything was so intricate, polished, and detailed. Luckily, the rooming director had given Blaine a room on the first floor so they didn't have to walk very far. The dorm was relatively large, about the size of the Crossings' living room. The one side of the room was filled with someone, most likely his roommate's, things. The other side was Blaine's with just a bed with a set of sheets, a bedside table with a lamp, and a wooden desk.

"So, obviously this is your side," Liam said with a laugh that ended in a snort. Blaine and Lucy didn't laugh with him. "Anyway," Liam cleared his throat, "I'm going to go get your roommate so he can come and meet you. I'm sure he won't mind missing class." Blaine watched him go, and Lucy set down the boxes to go over to him.

"Do you want me help you unpack, honey?" Lucy offered. Blaine shook his head, silently.

"I can do it…" Blaine mumbled. "I don't want you to miss more work than you have to because of me."

Lucy frowned, and then stood up and pulled him into a hug. She couldn't imagine all the emotions he were feeling. Switching schools was difficult even under the best of circumstances, but after what Blaine had gone through, it truly was like going through hell and back.

"Honey, you need to understand that you are part of our family now and we all care about you. Today, I took the day off to take my son to his new school and that's what I plan to do," Lucy said adamently. Blaine smiled a little bit, still worrying on the inside.

"Thanks, Lucy...I mean mom?" he said hesitantly, almost as a question.

"Mom, Mama, Mommy…anyone is fine," Lucy told him. She heard Liam coming back and got up. "I'm going to go run to the restroom and give you and your roommate some time to meet."

Lucy left, and Liam returned with a boy several inches taller than Blaine. He was dressed in his Dalton uniform, and looked excited to be there, like school was the best thing in the world.

"Blaine, this is David," Liam said. "He'll be your roommate." David stuck his hand out and Blaine shook it, intimidated by the other boy's strong grip.

"Liam, why don't you give us a minute," David said, hinting for the counselor to leave. Liam nodded and headed outside to the hall. "Anyway, hey man, I'm David and you're Blaine. right?"

"Yeah," Blaine said, feeling a little bit better. David seemed nice. Maybe living with him wouldn't be so bad.

"Sorry about Liam. He's a little awkward, but he's a good counselor," David explained. "So, Blaine, do you do any sports or hobbies?" Blaine was caught off guard. No one had asked him that in a while.

"Umm, not really," Blaine confessed, feeling silly. Athletics were a big part of Dalton.

"Come on, there's gotta be something you like doing," David coaxed, and picked up one of Blaine's boxes. He set it on the bed, and the two began to unpack and organize. "What about music? Do you like music?"

"Yeah… I like listening to it," Blaine said. That was an understatement. Music was Blaine's life, back before.

"What about singing?" David pushed.

"Only in the shower… I don't think I'm very good though," Blaine replied. He knew he wasn't a good singer. His dad had told him that, so it must be true.

"Come on. Everyone can sort of sing. Just give me a few bars of a song," David practically begged. Blaine didn't see why he was so insistent, but he didn't see why not.

"Umm...I don't know," Blaine said hesitantly. David didn't look like he was backing down though. Blaine looked down and thought for a second and then began singing one of his favorites.

Made a wrong turn, Once or twice

Dug my way out, Blood and fire

Bad decisions, That's alright

Welcome to my silly life

Blaine sang very quietly. He peeked up and David was smiling, so he kept going, gaining confidence little by little.

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood

Miss "no way, it's all good", It didn't slow me down

Mistaken, Always second guessing

Underestimated, Look, I'm still around

Pretty, pretty please

Don't you ever, ever feel

Like you're less than, less than perfect.

Pretty, pretty please

If you ever, ever feel

Like you're nothing

You are perfect to me.

Blaine stopped and David was instantly speaking.

"Oh my god! Dude! You're amazing!" he said loudly. "You have to try out for the Warblers."

"What's the Warblers?" Blaine asked. The headmaster hadn't talked about them in orientation.

"Oh! My bad! The Warblers is an acapella singing group. My best friend, Wes, and I are the leaders of it." David explained.

Blaine was nervous. A singing group wasn't the most popular thing in the world. He really couldn't take anymore teasing. Besides, he could hardly handle singing in front of David, so it wouldn't be much better in front of an entire room of people.

"I don't know… I don't really want to get picked on," Blaine replied quietly.

"Picked on? Why would you get picked on? The Warblers are like rockstars!" David said in an excited voice. David could sense that something was still wrong with Blaine. "Listen, I don't know what happened with you at your old school, but no one is going to pick on you here. Plus, if you join the Warblers, you'll have tons of friends. No matter what you've already got one new friend. I've got you back from now on."

Blaine smiled. Why couldn't making friends be this easy at Westerville? Dalton was becoming less and less frightening. Blaine knew if he could make a good impression on the Warblers, he just might have some fun.


	10. Chapter 10

Blaine's first few days at Dalton where a whirlwind of activity. He had to navigate to all of his classes in a huge school that he didn't know, get textbooks, and somehow manage to catch up to the fast paced curriculum. Blaine was stressed and overwhelmed with all of it, but most of all, he was just lonely.

His roommate, David was nice to him, and he was still insisting that Blaine join the Warblers group, even though he was a little hesitant. Blaine hadn't gotten involved in any other group or club, so he kind of wanted to meet someone other than David. A few people talked to him in his classes and at lunch, but longed for a real friend like Kelsey, someone he could do homework with and talk about things. Someone that Blaine could trust.

The Warblers were having their first meeting of the semester two weeks after Blaine had started. He agreed to go with David only if he didn't have to sing in front of everyone. David had promised, so Blaine went with him after he finished his mountain of homework for the day.

Blaine didn't know what he had been expecting, but the meeting was the complete opposite of what he was thinking. They didn't do much singing, instead they argued and talked over each other. There was a "council", too. Blaine didn't see why a singing and dancing group needed such an official group of leaders. They took it way too seriously.

David introduced him to the group, and Blaine explained a little bit about how he had never really sung before and about his transfer to Dalton. All of the guys seemed genuinely nice, but Blaine was still skittish. He didn't know any of their names. He tried to just blend in, and listened to the leader, Wes, ramble on about a fundraiser or something, but at the end, he called Blaine out.

"Blaine, would you sing a little something for us?" Wes asked. Blaine felt his heart skip a beat and he looked nervously at David. He didn't have a song prepared. David had promised him he wouldn't have to sing.

"Wes, auditions are private," David reminded him. Wes didn't seem phased by that. He was eager to hear the new kid sing; David had talked about him enough. He was obviously pretty special.

"I don't know what to sing…" Blaine said timidly, feeling his cheeks grow hot. He was already embarrassing himself at his very first meeting.

"It doesn't matter," Wes assured him. "Just a few bars of something you like. What's the last thing you listened to on your iPod?"

Blaine had honestly been too busy in the past few days to listen to any music. But there was one song he really liked, and he figured it would be appropriate. Blaine pushed himself up onto his feet and looked around hesitantly. He was really doing it, really singing in front of all of these people who he didn't even know.

"When you're ready," Wes said patiently. Blaine nodded and bit down on his lip. He was singing "Perfect" by Simple Plan, but Blaine didn't like how fast it was. He figured none of them had heard it before, so he slowed it down and really tried to focus on the lyrics.

Hey dad look at me

Think back and talk to me

Did I grow up according to plan?

And do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do?

But it hurts when you disapprove all along

And now I try hard to make it

I just wanna make you proud

I'm never gonna be good enough for you

Can't pretend that

I'm alright

And you can't change me

Blaine closed his eyes to avoid having to see everyone looking at him. He pretended he was just singing to himself, like he did in the shower or when he was home alone. The song meant a lot to him, and he wanted to make it perfect.

'Cause we lost it all

Nothing lasts forever

I'm sorry

I can't be perfect

Now it's just too late and

We can't go back

I'm sorry

I can't be perfect

I try not to think

About the pain I feel inside

Did you know you used to be my hero?

All the days you spent with me

Now seem so far away

And it feels like you don't care anymore

And now I try hard to make it

I just wanna make you proud

I'm never gonna be good enough for you

I can't stand another fight

And nothing's alright

'Cause we lost it all

Nothing lasts forever

I'm sorry

I can't be perfect

Now it's just too late and

We can't go back

I'm sorry

I can't be perfect

Blaine grew louder as he became more confident in his singing. No one had stopped him or laughed or even made a sound since he had started, so that was a good thing. He sat down as soon as he finished the last line of the song, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was just glad it was over.

No one was talking, so Blaine looked around to see what was wrong. Everyone was staring at him, wide eyed and with open mouths.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked innocently. Was the song not good? He didn't have anything else he had wanted to sing. Blaine grabbed his crutches and was about to get up and just leave and go back to his dorm, but Wes stopped him.

"Blaine, that was… amazing," he told him. Blaine was confused for a second, but then he smiled. David and now Wes. Maybe he actually was a good singer, after all. Blaine stared at the floor to hide his grin. They liked him, they actually liked him. "We have a competition coming up, and I think we can go ahead and vote for you to have a solo. That is, if you're interested. There's no pressure, but with you leading us, we would almost be guaranteed a win."

Blaine didn't know what to think. He didn't even know that he was considered a part of the group. Well, if that song was his audition, apparently he passed. But singing a solo, in front of however many people in the audience just seemed overwhelming. But they wanted to win, and Blaine figured it would be rude to turn down an offer like that.

"Um," he began, "I don't think… I mean I want to help you guys win, but I've never sang in front of so many people."

"We have several weeks to prepare," Wes told him. "There really wouldn't be anything to worry about. You can have some time to think about it, but Blaine Anderson, you're the newest member of the Dalton Academy Warblers!"

Everyone clapped for Blaine, and several of the guys slapped him on the back. Blaine thanked them and tried to blend in for the rest of the rehearsal. Wes was talking about a setlist for the competition or something, and Blaine just remained quiet, thinking over his decision. He knew he ought to sleep on it, but he didn't want to keep Wes and the Warblers waiting.

David waited for him after everyone else left, and Blaine crutched up to Wes' table.

"I'll do a solo," he said meekly. "Can I help choose it?" Blaine didn't want to sing just any old song that someone else picked out. Choosing the song was just as important as actually singing it, to him.

"Wonderful!" Wes exclaimed. Blaine forced himself to smile. Wes thanked him for agreeing to do it, and told Blaine he could do any song he wanted. That made Blaine happy, to know that he wouldn't have to do something he wasn't familiar with. He and David went back to their dorm, and the nerves set in as Blaine accepted his fate as the new soloist of the group.


	11. Chapter 11

Weeks passed, and Blaine was able to not only catch up on his school work, but blend into the Warblers perfectly. He had a great group of friends now. He and David frequently hung out because they were roommates and Wes joined them. He also had classes with Nick, Jeff, Trent, and Thad, and they all grew close.

Blaine also became more confident in his position as the Warblers' lead soloist. He never thought music was something that'd he would enjoy as much as he did, but he was realizing that it was the thing that was missing in his life. He loved learning new songs and dance routines. It gave him a purpose.

With that said, he didn't get to go home very often. The Warblers often had weekend practices because for the most part they all lived on campus, so he didn't get to see Kelsey, Lucy, or the boys for a while and Blaine was beginning to feel a bit homesick. Although he did miss them so badly, he couldn't focus on his emotions. Sectionals were tomorrow and Blaine needed to focus on knowing all the words to his solo and all of the dance moves. He was nervous to say the least. He was pacing his room going through all the steps in his head when David came in.

"Are you still practicing?" David asked.

"Yeah," Blaine said quickly before going back to practicing.

"You need to calm down. You're going to be fine. I've heard you sing and dance all the numbers and you're awesome at them," David reassured him.

"But what if forget it? Then I'll let everyone down," Blaine worried.

"You can't worry about that," David said as he placed a hand on Blaine's back. "Just do your best tomorrow and you'll be fine."

Blaine frowned and tried to walk away to practice again, but David wouldn't let him.

"Okay, we're going to go do something, because if we don't you're going to drive yourself insane."

"But...I need- I need to practice," Blaine argued.

"No, you don't. Come on," David ordered as he pulled Blaine out of the room and sent a few text messages simultaneously.

"David! Where are we going?" Blaine demanded.

"Somewhere fun," was all David would tell him. They walked down through the corridors until they reached the common room. Waiting for them was Wes, Nick, Jeff, Trent, and Thad.

"David, what are we doing here?" Wes asked. "We're supposed to be resting and preparing for sectionals."

"See that's what I said," Blaine muttered.

"No Wes, what we are supposed to be doing is not freaking out, which is what all of you are doing," David stated. "You all just need to calm down, so I brought you all here to do just that."

"Okay, well, what are we going to do?" Nick asked.

"How about truth or dare? That's alway such a fun game," David suggested with a smirk on his face. All of the guys smiled and nodded their heads. They sat around together in a circle. "Okay, I'll go first. Wes, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Wes replied nervously. David smirked, trying to come up with something good.

"I dare you to lick Thad's foot," David replied.

All of the guys burst out laughing. Maybe a game of truth or dare was just what they needed to calm down.

"What! No! Have you seen his feet?" Wes exclaimed.

"It's not my fault you picked dare," David reminded him. Wes sighed, rolled his eyes, and began to crouch down to Thad's foot.

"Hey wait! Don't I get a say in this?" Thad protested. "It's my foot!"

"Nope," Nick and Jeff said before grabbing onto Thad to make sure he didn't move. Wes closed his eyes and licked Thad's foot.

"Eww! God! That is disgusting," Wes exclaimed as he spit into the trashcan. "Thad, do you ever wash your feet?"

"Oh get over it!" David yelled. "Just ask someone truth or dare."

"Fine," Wes said as he spit one last time back into the trashcan. "Blaine, truth or dare?"

Blaine paused before he answered. He definitely didn't want to do something like licking Thad's foot, so he chose truth.

"Oh come on Blaine!" they all groaned.

"Yeah Blaine! Don't you want to lick my foot?" Thad shouted back.

"Fine, Blaine, why did you decided to come to Dalton?" Wes asked. Blaine froze. What was he supposed to tell them? "Blaine, come on." Wes said. "Tell us."

"I...ummm…" Blaine stuttered. Seeing that Blaine was uncomfortable, David put his hand on his back.

"It's okay, Blaine. You can tell us." David said. Blaine cleared his throat.

"Ummm… a few months ago I went to a Sadie Hawkins dance with another…guy."

Blaine paused to make sure everyone was okay with him being gay. No one seemed angry at all which was a pleasant surprise. "A few guys beat us up pretty badly. They went to my school and I just couldn't go back there. Dalton offered me a scholarship, so I took it."

"Blaine, we are so sorry that happened to you," Wes said sincerely. "Just know that we're all here for you and nothing like that will ever happen here."

All of the guys nodded with reassuring smiles. They hung out for the rest of the night, until Wes decided it was time for everyone to go to sleep. They all needed energy for tomorrow. Blaine, who was glad that his secret was finally out, was still nervous. He lay in his bed thinking about tomorrow and all the possibilities of him making a mistake and letting his teammates down.

The next morning, Blaine and David got dressed in their uniforms and headed out to the bus channel where the bus to take them to sectionals was waiting. All of the Warblers filed onto the bus and drove the half an hour to get to the competition.

When they got there they waited backstage until it the announcer called their name. Blaine rocked back and forth on his heels. He had never felt this nervous before. Trent came up behind him.

"You nervous?" he asked.

"Yeah, you?" Blaine replied.

"Definitely," Trent said back. "You'll be awesome though. Your voice is so good."

"Thanks." Blaine replied. He was about to talk again when the announcer called their name. All of the Warblers got into position and walked out on the stage. The music began and they all began to sing with Blaine in the lead. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and began to sing

_I need a sigh to let me know your here_

_all of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere_

_I need to know if things are going to look up_

_'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from from a cup_

_When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head_

_When you feel the world shake from the words that are said_

_And I'm calling all angels_

_I'm calling all you angels_

_I won't give up if you don't give up_

_I won't give up if you don't give up_

_I won't give up if you don't give up_

_I won't give up if you don't give up_

Blaine opened his eyes to the audience and saw all their smiling faces. He kept singing and increased his energy. He finally felt confident. He finished the song and then everyone clapped.

Now it was time for his solo. David and Wes had let him help pick it. It was a song he had liked for a while and one that he could always relate to. Most of the Warblers exited the stage, but a few stayed to harmonize in the background with him. The second track of music began and Blaine prepared himself.

_Where is the moment we needed the most_

_You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost_

_They tell me your blue skies fade to grey_

_They tell me your passion's gone away_

_And I don't need no carryin' on_

_You stand in the line just to hit a new low_

_You're faking a smile with the coffee to go_

_You tell me your life's been way off line_

_You're falling to pieces everytime_

_And I don't need no carryin' on_

_Cause you had a bad day_

_You're taking one down_

_You sing a sad song just to turn it around_

_You say you down know_

_You tell me don't lie_

_You work at a smile and you go for a ride_

_You had a bad day_

_The camera don't lie_

_You're coming back down and you really don't mind_

_You had a bad day_

_You had a bad day_

The music faded away and cheers echoed through the auditorium. Blaine smiled. He had really done it. He remembered all the moves and the words. He hadn't let anyone down. Now the only thing left to do was wait for the judges to announce a winner. They waited backstage and because they were the last group it didn't take that long. They all filed onto the stage with the other two teams and waited for the head judge to open the envelope.

"The winner is…" he paused. "The Dalton Academy Warblers!" he screamed. They all jumped up and down in excitement. They had done it! Blaine hadn't felt this happy in a long time, maybe in his whole life. He finally felt like a winner.


End file.
